Not applicable.
Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for deterring squirrels and similar animals from accessing a bird feeder and, more particularly, a device that attaches to a support for the bird feeder.
2. Background of the Invention
Bird feeders are typically invaded by squirrels, raccoons, cats and other marauding animals which climb up the pole that supports the feeder above the ground and steal the feed. Despite many attempts to devise a feeder, either pole-mounted or of the hanging type, that is resistant to being looted by these animals, no consistently effective product exists. Some examples of devices for deterring marauding animals from bird feeders for which patents have been granted include the following.
Chester, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,856, describes a post for supporting a bird platform such as a bird feeder or bird house that includes an axially elongated sleeve slidable on the post. A mechanism is provided to bias the sleeve toward the top of the post with a counterweight inside the post which is connected to the sleeve by a line which passes over a pulley at the top of the post. A squirrel climbing the post onto the sleeve causes the sleeve to descend, thereby causing the squirrel to jump off the post. The sleeve then returns to the original position by the pull of the counterweight.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,686, and Re.32,970, Furlani discloses a cylindrical, transparent feed container located inside a concentric, coaxial transparent shroud. The shroud is supported on the container by a spring for movement between a bird feeding position and a position in which heavier birds or animals cause the shroud to block access to the feed. Perches are supported on the shroud adjacent the access openings in the shroud container.
Brown, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,112, describes a bird feeder having a metal feed container located inside a concentric, coaxial, metal shroud cover that rotates. The rotation allows access to the feed only about half of the time. For heavier animals, the cover shroud moves downward over the feed container, blocking access to the feed container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,386 by Morrison discloses a bird feeder that prevents squirrels from access to food within the feeder. The feeder includes a first housing and a second housing, with the housings having alignable holes for feeding. The weight of the squirrel causes the housings to move so the holes are nonaligned, preventing the squirrel from accessing the food.
Ancketill, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,459, describes a bird feeder having a shroud biased away from a food holder by a spring. When a squirrel lands on the shroud, the weight of the animal cause the shroud to descend over the food holder thereby preventing the animal from gaining access to the food.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,285,748, Weldin describes a bird feeder apparatus that includes an elongated tubular housing having a floor mounted between the first and second ends of the tubular housing, with the support post secured to the floor within the tubular housing. The housing has an exterior annular ring extending there around at the floor level with feed slots just above the ring. A two piece annular sleeve is secured within the housing with a spring between the two pieces, with one sleeve piece extending beyond the housing.
Freed, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,835, describes a bird feeder pole and platform assembly for deterring animal access to the feeder. The platform slides up and down the pole on roller guides with counter weights inside the pole holding it up. When an animal lands on the platform, the added weight causes the platform to descend the pole, frightening the animal away.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,375,558 and 5,720,238 by Drakos discloses a suspended bird feeder that has inner and outer housings with the inner housing fixed vertically and the outer housing telescopically positioned thereabout and moveable between upper and lower positions. The outer housing is biased toward the upper, or feed available, position with springs or counterweights. The weight of an animal sitting on the outer housing causes the housing to move to the lower, or feed unavailable, position thereby preventing the animal access to the food.
Danca, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,641, describes a bird feeder having an animal blockage device that includes a series of concentric casings moveably surrounding a support pole for the feeder. The casings prevent squirrels or other animals from traveling up the support pole to the feeder.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,109, Gray et al. describe a selective bird feeder that includes a container with a spring biased cover having several feeding perches. Larger birds landing on the cover perches cause the cover to close on the container, thereby preventing larger birds access to the feed in the container.
Bridges, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,540, describes a bird feeder having inner and outer cylinders with alignable holes therein. The cylinders have a biasing spring to hold the feeding holes in alignment. A squirrel alighting on the feeder moves the outer cylinder relative to the inner one against the biasing spring causing misalignment of the feeding holes, thus preventing the squirrel access to the feed in the inner cylinder.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,537, Flischel describes a squirrel-proof post having one or more concentric sleeves suspended from a platform at the top of the post by sets of springs. The sleeve moves down the post when a squirrel lands on it, thereby causing the squirrel to jump off. The spring then returns the sleeve to the original position.
Czipri, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,183, describes a bird feeder that includes a first inner housing and a second outer housing, with the housings having alignable holes for feeding. The weight of a squirrel on a lever pivotally connected to the outer housing causes the housing to move so the holes are nonaligned, preventing the squirrel from accessing the food.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,048, Potente describes a flexible sheet of material formed into a cylindrical shape acquiring an internal spring tension. The sheet placed as a sleeve over a pole or post serves to dislodge climbing animals by compressing along its length and, in turn, receiving an equal and opposite force of an instant recoil to frighten the animal away.
Husnik, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,192,832, describes a bird feeder that has an internal feed container with access holes and a rotatable shell that can cover the access holes. The rotatable shell is counter weighted so that birds do not rotate the shell while squirrels, heavier than birds, rotate the shell to close off the feed access holes. The device is preferably mounted horizontally with supports on each end of the feeder.
Applicant has invented an assembly with minimum moving parts for deterring marauding animals from accessing a bird feeder. Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the animal deterrent assembly.
The invention is a terrestrial animal deterrent assembly for a bird feeding device, including a vertical pole member adapted for supporting the bird feeding device. A biasing spring member of a selected length, having first and second end portions, encircles a portion of the pole member and is secured thereto at the spring member first end portion. An axially elongated sleeve member of a length greater than the biasing spring member surrounds and encloses the spring member and the portion of the pole member. The sleeve member is secured to the spring member at the spring member second end portion. A terrestrial animal grasping the biased sleeve member causes up and down movement thereof, relative to the pole member, thereby frightening the terrestrial animal off the assembly.